Before the Dawn
by BlackHeretic
Summary: Mirage was born of the squirrel-stalker Shine, learning as soon as her eyes were open how to survive. She learned to battle and hunt, the only two skills she would ever need. This is the tale of the Mirage, and how she lived before the dawn of the clans.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

ALLEGIANCES

SQUIRREL-STALKERS

Flight – orange she-cat

Pool – dark gray she-cat

Shine – white she-cat. Mother of Hawk, Lightning, and Mirage

Cocoa – brown she-cat

Kay – light gray she-cat

Ledge – tortoiseshell tom

Branch – brown tom

Dove – white she-cat

Jump – white tom

Cliff – light brown tabby tom

Drop – gray she-cat

Rain – gray tom

Chirp – orange she-cat

Dry – dusty brown tom

Fall – orange tom

FISH-EATERS

Willow – light brown tabby she-cat. Mother of Grass, Swim, and Claw

Reed – light brown tabby tom

Stream – blue-gray she-cat

Stone – dark gray tom

Cassie – white she-cat

Fluffy – white tom

Sand – sandy orange tom

Rock – dark gray tom

Scale – tortoiseshell tom

Mist – light gray she-cat

Dew – light gray tabby she-cat

MOUSE-POUNCERS

Tangle – brown tom

Vine – brown tabby tom

Ivy – gray she-cat

Dapple – tortoiseshell she-cat. Mother of Yew and Lavender

Thorn – gray tabby tom

Candy – orange she-cat

Creek – gray she-cat

Leaf – light brown tabby she-cat

Pounce – light brown tabby tom

Hollow – gray tom

Fern – dusty orange she-cat

Fire – dusty orange tom

RABBIT-CHASERS

Owl – gray tabby tom

Chase – light gray tabby she-cat

Leap – dusty orange she-cat

Moth – orange she-cat

Crow – dark gray tom

Song – pale gray she-cat. Mother of Echo, Boulder, Bounce, and Sparrow

Cody – light brown tom

Scratch – pale brown tom

Cloud – white tom

Hare – white tom

Heather – light brown tabby she-cat

Gorge – light brown tabby she-cat

SNAKE-HUNTERS

Night – black tom

Scar – dark gray tom

Black – black she-cat

Moon – tortoiseshell she-cat

Snow – light gray she-cat

Howl – dark brown tom

Talon – brown tom

Eagle – brown and white tom

Scarlett – ginger she-cat

Fang – brown tom

Lizard – gray tom

Frog – gray tom

Marsh – pale gray she-cat

* * *

><p>PROLOGUE<p>

The scent of young cats wafted from the entrance of the den.

"You may come in!" a black and white dappled she-cat rasped from inside. She lay down comfortably on her nest and waited for the kits to find their way inside.

Branchkit, Riverkit, and Squirrelkit tumbled into the Elders' den, fighting each other to sit right in front of her. Cloudwhisper sighed, knowing why Winterheart sent her kits to the Elders' den.

The kits made themselves comfortable, Squirrelkit having won her way to the center. Her brothers didn't look happy, but they let their sister have her way.

"I believe I know why you're here." Cloudwhisper said to them. They nodded eagerly.

"We want -," Squirrelkit started, but Cloudwhisper cut her off.

"- to check my ticks!" Cloudwhisper said, letting out a _mrrow _of laughter at their shocked faces.

"No, we want a story!" Riverkit complained.

"Yes, I know." Cloudwhisper meowed, thinking of a story they would love. Of course, she would pick the story of the time before the Warrior Code, the story she told to every new kit, and the time she lived in as a very young kit. "I've got the perfect story for you."

"Tell it to us! Please!" the kits said, looking at the elder with pleading looks. "Is it about before the clans?"

"Yes." Cloudwhisper answered, playing their game.

"Is it about LionClan and TigerClan and LeopardClan?" they asked.

"No." now the three kits looked confused.

"I am going to tell you about the time when there were no warriors, apprentices, medicine cats, leaders, deputies, or elders. I am going to tell you a story before the clans and before the Warrior Code. I am going to tell you the story of my mother's mother, before the dawn of the clans."


	2. Basically The Beginning

Chapter One

It was warm inside. It was always warm inside wherever she was. But, now, she couldn't breathe. She squirmed, battering whatever she touched. She felt the place convulse, felt her and two other things being moved down further in the place.

One of the things disappeared with another convulsion. The place pushed again, and the other thing disappeared. She was alone.

The warm place convulsed again, pushing her down, and it was suddenly freezing. She couldn't breathe it was so cold.

A rough thing pressed against her back, sliding up and continuing the motion. She finally started to breathe. Every breath was freezing.

A warm, furry thing guided her to a warmer place. She suddenly felt a pain in her stomach. She let the furry thing guide her, and she soon felt the two other things that she had felt in the warm place.

Something pressed against her mouth and she opened up, letting the thing in. Upon instinct, she started to suckle, a warm liquid finding its way down her throat and filling up the pain with warmth. She continued until she could take no more, cuddling up next to the warmth and let darkness take hold.

**XXX**

She finally woke to the rough thing sliding along her back. It was red behind her eyelids, but she didn't yet have the strength or the motivation to open them, knowing that only as soon as she did she would be stung by the cold again.

She let it comfort her, then realizing she had a small rough thing too. A voice in her head told her it was a tongue, and the furry thing that guided her to the warmth was a tail.

"Are they awake?" a male voice whispered.

"Yes. Look kits, your father is here. His name is Ledge. I am your mother, Shine." Her mother cooed.

"Looks like we've got two toms. One tortoiseshell like me, and one orange. Also a white she-cat, like you." Ledge said, coming over to expect them.

"Ledge, the she-cat has a tabby face. There must be white tips on the end of her fur, because if you look a certain way, the tabby disappears." Shine explained. The kit could feel Ledge's breathing on her fur.

"Well, look at that!" Ledge said. "What are their names?"

Shine sighed.

"I think this on should be Hawk, because he has a dark pelt like a hawk. I think the one in the middle should be Lightning. What do you think?" Shine asked.

"Hmm, Lightning sounds good. After all, his tail moves really fast. And Hawk sounds perfect." Ledge purred. "I think the little she-cat should be Mirage. After all, that's what her face fur is like!"

"Mirage," Shine cooed. "It's beautiful."

"I was hunting today. I brought back two squirrels and a blackbird." Ledge meowed, bringing some good smelling things into wherever they were.

"I'll have the blackbird, we usually have squirrels." Shine meowed, her voice dripping with boredom at the mention of squirrels. A crack sounded nearby, and then some rustling came from even closer.

"We're being ambushed!" Ledge hissed. "Cover the kits with moss, we need to fight!"

Mirage was suddenly covered moss, it smelled strongly of her, Shine, Lightning, and Hawk.

Many sounds of battle came from outside, and then some tom cat yowled, "No! Not Gorge!"

"Come on, retreat! Your mate is dead, let's go, Cloud!" another tom's voice came from outside.

"Get out of here you flea-bitten rabbit-hunters!" Shine snarled. Mirage backed further into the moss at the venom in her mother's voice.

A she-cat entered the den. Obviously, Gorge had faked being dead and snuck in when Shine and Ledge were trying to get rid of the other two.

Gorge nosed her way through the moss, and grabbed Lightning and Mirage by the scruffs of their necks.

The rabbit-hunter carried them a little ways, until something snarled and slammed into her.

Gorge dropped the kits and fought, but she fell to the ground with a thud, not getting up again.

Shine picked Mirage up and Ledge got Lightning. They were dropped softly on the moss before Shine lay down to let them suckle. Mirage cuddled into her mother's warmth, releasing the stress of her day.

"The kits shouldn't have been outside. They could have caught a sickness." Ledge said.

"They look fine now; we'll do something about it if they start to get sick." Shine whispered. Ledge sighed and lay in the corner of their den.

Mirage finished suckling, and curled up to sleep.

**XXX**

Mirage woke up, stretching beside her mother. She stretched so far, her eyes cracked open. She opened them farther, and she could see. Ledge was gone, probably hunting, like he did every green-leaf morning. She saw they were in a berry bush, but no berries were on the inside because the birds had already picked them off.

Mirage turned to see the sleeping form of Shine, the sun catching beautifully on her white fur. Mirage sat up and looked over at Lightning and Hawk. They were both bigger than her. Lightning's tail was twitching, and he mewled in his sleep. Hawk was sheathing and unsheathing his "talons" as Ledge like to call his claws.

Shine yawned and stretched, startling Mirage.

"Mom!" Mirage squeaked out.

Shine looked warmly at her, before suddenly jumping up, waking Mirage's littermates.

"Mirage! Your eyes are tortoiseshell! A dapple of blue, green, and amber." Shine purred. "How beautiful."

Mirage cocked her head to the side and settled back down.

"You and your littermates are one moon old today. Just a few moons from now, we will teach you everything you need to survive on your own." Shine explained. Mirage stretched again. "Come along; let's go greet your father."

Mirage walked outside with Shine, leaving her littermates in the bush.

Ledge walked out to meet them, purring warmly at his mate and kit.

"Mirage! Your eyes! How beautiful they are!" Ledge exclaimed.

Mirage purred. She was very pleased with her eyes, and obviously, so was everyone else!

"Let's go in and eat." Ledge paused. "She-cats first."

**Okay, I kind of ended this horribly, but it keeps the story going. I hope I didn't take too long to update! Reviews are always appreciated!**


	3. Hunting Lessons

**Chapter Two**

**This chapter takes place when Mirage, Lightning, and Hawk are two moons old.**

Mirage stumbled in the edge of the den, dirt flying up everywhere. She lunged again, jumping out at Lightning as they play-fought.

"You'll never take me alive, fish-eater!" Lightning proclaimed.

"Fine, I'll take you _dead _then!" Mirage retorted. They leapt into battle once more before Shine came back and broke them apart.

"Kits, please! We have so much to do today, you two are turning the den upside down and Hawk is still asleep!" Shine meowed.

"Actually, Hawk has been trying to dirt all morning!" Mirage said. She shook, trying not to laugh. She couldn't hold it in.

She let out meows of laughter every few moments, as did Lightning.

"Kits these days!" Shine meowed exasperatedly.

"What?" Hawk walked in the den, a little unsteady on his legs like he'd been squatting for a while.

"Anyway -," Shine shot a look at her other two kits. "- I am going to teach you how to hunt today!"

The kits exchanged looks of excitement.

"So, let's get started!" Shine meowed.

**XXX**

The kits and their mother worked on a lot of techniques. It was boring. Hawk had fallen asleep not long after they'd started, with Lightning following after. Shine, of course, did nothing to stop them.

Mirage had made her mind that she would learn everything that she possibly could about survival from her parents while she was still young.

Later while they were training, a squirrel had come along. Shine instructed Mirage how to stalk it. Mirage pounced, but the squirrel had been suspecting, so it took off immediately.

"Oh, well, better luck next time. After all, you are just a kit yet. You'll perfect it in time. It's your brothers though, I'm worried about." Shine sighed. "Let's head back to the den."

Mirage didn't reply, just silently nodded and poked her brothers' bellies so they would wake up.

As they headed back, they met up with Ledge.

"How was your hunt?" Shine meowed.

"Fine, fine" he purred through the squirrels he was carrying. "Let's go home."

When they finally got back, Mirage and her brothers were too worn out to eat, so they lay down on the soft bedding and slept off their worries.


	4. A Lecture Towards the Future

**Chapter Three**

**This chapter takes place where Mirage, Lightning, and Hawk are three moons old.**

Every since their mother had taught them how to hunt, they were forced to fend for themselves. The kits knew it was only a part of their training for independence, but Mirage couldn't help feeling it was a little harsh. Lightning and Hawk didn't agree though.

At first, hunting was hard. They were still small and they had only been taught one day. Over time, they started to get better. They no longer had to eat berries to keep from starvation.

"Have you noticed anything strange about Shine and Ledge lately?" Hawk whispered. They sat silently for a while.

"Yes, they seem to be turning from us, as a way of putting it," Lightning mewed. Their parents had already fallen asleep.

"I know why," Mirage whispered. She wasn't sure that her theory was correct, but it had to be why.

"Well? Spit it out!" Hawk hissed, lashing his tail.

"They're weaning us." Mirage answered flatly.

"Not yet?" Hawk asked. Mirage answered with a nod. They would be forced out soon enough. Hawk yawned. "Let's get to sleep."

Lightning and Mirage didn't answer, they were already nodding off.

By the time dawn arrived, Ledge had already gone hunting and Shine was off to see around the area to make sure no enemies had come near.

Mirage stretched and yawned, soon realizing she was alone in the den. Her brothers must have been hungry.

The young kit's mind wandered back to the conversation she'd had with her mother about life.

"_When you get a mate and build a den, a small territory is formed. On that area, you are allowed to do as you please. The tom's job is to hunt; the she-cat's job is to make sure no trespassers are around."_

In truth, it wasn't much of a conversation. It was just another lecture. Mirage didn't like things the way they were though, because she would rather do what she wanted; hunt when she wanted. Her goal was to change things.

The kit's stomach suddenly pained. It was time to eat. Mirage set off in search of food, spotting a young squirrel sitting on the roots of an acorn tree.

Mirage lowered herself noiselessly, keeping her tail and ears down. She inched forward, making sure that she was downwind before she leapt high up, landing with her claws outstretched on the squirrel.

It may have been an awkward way of hunting; by the way her mother had showed her. This sufficed though. Because of her powerful hind legs, she was able to propel herself high into the air to make a catch.

Mirage padded proudly back to the den. One squirrel would be enough until sundown.

When she got there, Ledge had returned with prey for Shine and himself. He dropped his kill by the entrance before turning to greet her.

"Nice catch, Mirage." He praised her. She dropped her catch at her paws.

"Thanks," Mirage said before digging into her squirrel.

"You're getting so big; your brothers, too."

Mirage glanced up at him, giving him a nod. Her and her brothers were three moons old now. It was almost time for them to be weaned, to the complete extent where their parents chased them out.

Shine, Hawk, and Lightning returned shortly after her brief talk with Ledge. Not a single one of them spoke while they ate. It was unnerving.

After they finished, they buried the bones in the usual spot and spent the day doing nothing. Ledge and Shine groomed each other while their kits took naps or play-fought. Life alone in a small group was…boring.

Mirage hardly did anything while she spent her days with her family. Nothing happened since the day those rabbit-hunters came and tried to steal her and Lightning.

"It's almost sunset," Shine noted, standing. "I'm going to go check the borders. Mirage, why don't you come with me?"

Mirage reluctantly stood, padding after her mother. The whole time they were gone, Mirage lagged behind and ignored everything her mother told her. But, one thing her mother said caught her interest.

"_You know, my name used to be Ice. Now, it's Shine. You see, Mirage, when you are to find your own way in the forest, you must give yourself a new name, different from your birth name. It's to symbolize your independence…"_

That was all Mirage heard. Nothing else stuck with her the rest of the time she was out.

By the time they returned, it was moonhigh and the others had already retreated to their nests.

Mirage slowly dragged herself through the entrance of the den and threw herself onto her moss nest. She feared that every day would be like this for the rest of her life.


	5. In a Whole New World

**Chapter Four**

**This chapter takes place where Mirage, Lightning, and Hawk are four moons old**

The next morning was dull. Again, she was the last one up.

Mirage pulled herself to her paws, brushing through the brambles of the den as she left. Clouds covered the sky, but bird calls could still be heard. That was promising.

The young she-cat headed out into her family's small area. She knew that there weren't any real borders, but the areas surrounding then dens were usually inspected, so no harm could come to the small groups that lived in the area. Prey was a whole other issue.

Even if you were a squirrel-stalker like a group living nearby, they could still try to steal your prey and blood would be spilled.

The whole forest lived in clumps. You were either a Squirrel-Stalker, a Fish-Eater, a Mouse-Pouncer, a Rabbit-Chaser, or a Snake-Hunter. There were no set borders, so all of the territories overlapped, making squabbles over prey quite common.

Lives were taken needlessly every day just because they chased a squirrel a little too far, or maybe fished a little too far down the river.

Mirage was determined to keep her borders organized. When she got her own borders, that is.

The forest did provide enough food for Mirage though. With her powerful hind legs, she managed to jump up on level to a tree branch and bring down a mother bird.

After she finished burying the bird by the tree, she climbed it to see if there were any eggs in the nest. And indeed, there were.

Mirage felt sorry for the unborn birds. By killing their mother, it meant they would never survive, and that would mean less birds for the forest. But, at least they were still edible as is.

She knocked the nest onto the forest floor, cracking the eggs open. She leapt back down the trunk and licked up an egg yolk. It wasn't great, but it satisfied her appetite.

"Hey," Mirage jumped at the voice. She turned, noticing that it was Lightning, Hawk following after. "Save any for us?

She snorted, flicking her tail to beckon them forward. There were two eggs left, and she'd already caught a blackbird. Digging it up, she returned to her brothers and settled down next to them.

"So, why are you two together?"

"Oh," Hawk answered. "We thought we'd try hunting together. After that squirrel and this egg, I'm pretty sure I'm set until tomorrow."

Lightning nodded.

When the two finished their eggs, all three headed back to the den. What they saw frightened them.

Ledge and Shine stood facing them outside the den. Their lips were curled back in snarls, and their claws were unsheathed.

"Get out of our territory!" Ledge growled. "Or we'll have to kill you."

_No, this can't be happening! _Mirage thought, panicked. She turned, bolting through the forest.

Suddenly, she felt two pelts brush against her. Lightning and Hawk had decided to follow.

Eventually, Hawk spoke up.

"Can we stop?"

Immediately, Lightning stopped. With Mirage's momentum, she had to stutter a few steps to stop.

"What's wrong?" Lightning asked him. Hawk flicked his tail in annoyance.

"I'm exhausted," he paused. "And also quite infuriated."

Mirage dipped her head in acknowledgement. What he said was the same for Mirage as well.

They'd run quite a while, and her paws ached. And also, why did their parents threaten to kill them? They were only four moons old! At least Shine could have told them it was time. Mirage would have left peacefully.

"Shine said something when we were out patrolling." Mirage started. "She said that once we leave, we must change our names. She said it was to symbolize our independence."

Her brothers nodded. Lightning spoke up, "Well, let's dry to make a den here for the night. In the morning, I will likely be leaving."

Hawk widened his eyes in astonishment. It was no wonder why, Lightning and Hawk were closer than most siblings. Mirage couldn't care either way, but Hawk must have felt hurt.

"Well," Mirage said. "Let's get to work."

**xXx**

By the time the kits were done with their makeshift den, it was almost sunset, and they were starving. Obviously Hawk was wrong when he thought his food would last. Well, he probably didn't expect to have to run for his life and build a den the rest of the day.

"I'm hungry." Lightning whined. "I'm going to go hunt. I'll bring something back for all of us."

He kept his promise, later returning with three squirrels.

Mirage poked her head inside the den. There was room for the three of them, but it was in need of bedding.

"I'm gonna go fetch some moss, be right back." She said, turning away. Soon, though, she found a tree covered in moss.

She hooked her claws like her mother told her and scraped off a large amount. She rolled it into three balls and tucked one under her chin.

"Is that it?" Hawk asked. Mirage glared his direction.

"No. Come help me with the rest." Mirage mewed, padding away. She could hear Hawk's soft pawsteps behind her.

When they arrived at the tree, they silently tucked the moss under their chins and headed back to the den. When they got back, Lightning had made a nest of his moss and was digging into his prey.

Mirage and Hawk did the same.

When they had all settled, Lightning asked the question.

"So, what are your names going to be?" Hawk looked up, surprised. Pondering for a moment, he replied:

"Maybe Falcon. It's not too different."

"I think I'll name myself Thunder. It's a pair for lightning, so it works." Lightning meowed.

Mirage didn't say anything. Her brothers looked over to her.

"Mirage?" Hawk asked.

"I am Mirage. And I'm going to sleep."

**Well, that was a somewhat uneventful chapter. Just so you know, I've changed Mirage's tortoiseshell face fur and made it tabby. Also, Lightning is now an orange cat. I've also added in some additional information. I think that's all…Reviews are appreciated! **


	6. Heart of Land

**Chapter Five**

Mirage woke at the break of dawn. She was cold, and she noticed there was frost on the ground. It was so foggy, she could hardly see out of the entrance of the den she and her brothers had made.

She looked to her side to look for her brothers. A twinge of sadness stung her heart.

Thunder was gone.

The young cat rose to her paws, quietly, so as not to wake Falcon, who was asleep at the other end of the den.

Then, Mirage left. She knew she would probably never see Falcon again, but she thought it best not to wake him and say goodbye.

And then there was Thunder. He probably waited for her and Falcon to fall asleep, and then left. He couldn't even stay one last night with his littermates.

Mirage bit back bitter thoughts as she sprinted across the terrain. Her nose was cold. All she could smell was cold.

_Well, that's not good_, she thought. Curving her path, she jumped up into a tree. Mirage settled a few branches up, out of sight. Her pelt was damp from the fog, so she hoped her scent was hidden well enough.

Mirage trusted herself with her abilities. Trees were good ground for her. So, she lay down and slipped into a dreamless sleep.

**xXx**

When Mirage woke, she was still in the tree. The fog and frost were gone, and the warm green-leaf sun was shining brightly.

_Strange, _Mirage thought, stretching. Her muscles were sore from sleeping in the tree.

She looked up into the sky. There were few clouds and it was nearing sunhigh. Honestly, if she hadn't woken in the tree she would have thought the morning was a dream.

She closed her eyes, remembering her brothers' scents. Mirage would never forget them.

But, now it was time to move on.

Mirage started jumping from branch to branch, and soon she noticed the terrain changed. She tasted the air, and was greeted with strange-smelling borders.

She had entered the territory of the Mouse-Pouncers.

"Oh, great." She muttered to herself. She was in enemy territory now. _Nothing to do but keep going, _she thought to herself.

As Mirage continued to sprint through the trees, she thought. _What is even happening? How am _I _supposed to do this?_

She sighed. Her mother and father had gone through this. So had every cat in the forest.

_What did they do that I could do? _She questioned herself. Mirage honestly had no clue where to go. She should have asked Shine more about –

Her rumbling stomach interrupted her thoughts. Concentrating, Mirage realized that she hadn't eaten anything since the night before. _Time to hunt_.

She quickly slunk down the trunk of the tree she had recently jumped into.

Again, she tasted the air. She didn't scent anything but the border-smell and leaves.

Mirage soon decided to patrol around for a while. She took in her surroundings. It certainly was different than what she was used to.

In the territory of the Squirrel-Stalkers, the undergrowth was sparse and the trees weren't particularly thick. Mouser-Pouncer territory, on the other hand, had dense undergrowth and the trees were large.

Mirage was so engulfed in the territory, she almost didn't hear the sound of small paws scuttling through the leaves.

She paused, lowering herself into a hunter's crouch. Slowly, she picked through the brush toward the noise. Her eyes finally fixed upon a mouse perched on the roots of a large tree.

She slowly inched forward. The mouse was so into breaking open an acorn that it didn't sense her presence. For a moment, she pitied it. It was so clueless that its death was coming soon.

But, that feeling passed as she felt her stomach pain.

Quickly, Mirage pounced, her paw crushing the mouse's spine. She purred at the sight.

Scooping the mouse up in between her teeth, she headed back to her tree.

Mirage bounded up the trunk effortlessly, settling down on a high branch to enjoy her prey.

As she ate, she thought about her parents.

They had probably thought that their kits would stay Squirrel-Stalkers. Or maybe they didn't care. Maybe they would just act like Mirage and her littermates had never existed, and they would just continue to have more kits.

Mirage didn't settle with that thought very well. She huffed, standing on her branch. The mouse wasn't much of a meal, considering she'd been on the move half the day.

But, it was time to move on. The mouse had satisfied her enough, so she would be able to continue on for a while longer before she had to stop and hunt again.

Mirage raced through the treetops. She blinked away thoughts of her mother and father, who had hostilely chased her and her littermates out of the only place they knew, thoughts of Thunder, who had left his brother and sister right after they had fallen asleep, thoughts of Falcon, and how she herself had left him before he woke.

She blinked away her past. She would not think of them again. But, she couldn't forget.

Mirage sighed. She knew it was futile to try to think back and see where things had gone wrong. She remembered a time when Shine had told her that kits were weaned at five moons. She and her littermates were only four moons. Did they do something wrong? Or had Shine lied to her?

_No! Stop thinking about it. Shine wouldn't lie, and you didn't do anything wrong, _Mirage chided herself. _It was just time._

And life moves on. She had to think, strategically figure out what she had to do in life.

She knew that she would have to become part of the specific territories, and that she would have to find territory for herself, and she had to find a mate.

Mirage just needed to find out how to do that.

And she had no clue.

But, all she had to worry about now was watch where she was going.

_Maybe, _Mirage thought. _I could go to the place in the heart of all the territories. There may be some cats there that could help._

So, she set her course for the heart of the forest.

**xXx**

It was sunset by the time Mirage reached the heart.

She had overstretched her legs trying to reach a branch on one of the tall oaks surrounding the clearing. Plus, she was starving and exhausted.

There were a _lot _of cats lying about. She noticed that most of the cats were pretty young, most around twelve moons or younger. _Odd_.

Mirage knew better than to go down there now. She should have timed her arrival better.

She should have entered the next day at, say, sunhigh. And she should have been on the ground.

Now, though, most cats were settling into random places on the dirt in the clearing. She saw a three-moon-old kit scrambling to get onto the huge rock in the middle. She pitied the small thing instantly.

As Mirage scouted out the clearing, she didn't notice a cat drop on her branch from a branch higher up.

"Well, looks like we've got a new one," Mirage jumped, unsheathing her claws at the raspy voice. The sight that greeted her was not at all what she had expected.

A wiry old she-cat stood before her. The cat had a fading brown pelt dappled with scars and dull, amber eyes. Mirage could see the cat's ribs through its pelt.

The old cat huffed. Mirage instantly thought that this cat should _not _be climbing trees scaring the life out of younger cats.

"So, what brings you here?" the scrawny old cat asked. Mirage gulped.

"I, uh, well-,"

The old cat narrowed her eyes. "You were weaned. So, you thought you would come here and figure out what you should do."

Mirage blinked. How did this cat know so much?

"It's a common thing around here," the cat said, sitting down. She gazed at the earth below, watching the young kit try to get up the high rock.

"Well, yes, that's why I came here. I was weaned two nights ago." Mirage replied. The old cat kept her eyes fixated at the ground.

"Where are you from?"

"My mother and father were Squirrel-Stalkers."

"Really? And it only took you a day to get here?" the old cat sounded somewhat impressed. She continued, "It's no wonder you came here then. You Squirrel-Stalkers are farther away from what really goes on around the forest. It's natural you would be clueless."

Mirage felt slightly offended at the she-cat's words. "Well…"

"You can stay. All these cats here? I've trained them. Started off with my kit, Wind, but she left for the moors moons ago. A herd of clueless kits came to me, and so I started training them for the outside world. Ever since, this place has been a kind of secret sanctuary for the naïve."

"Secret? With all the cats here-," Mirage started.

"Yes. Part of the training here is to be able to guard the place. When one of them discovers a hostile moving in, they alert the rest, and we all hide in the oaks."

"How do you keep your scent hidden?" Mirage inquired.

The old cat looked out at the setting sun. "That's the convenience of living close to the river. Every day at dawn, patrols break off to go soak in the river. They're careful, of course, not to be caught, but we have had a few instances…" the she-cat trailed off, looking mournfully down at her paws.

"So I see. But wouldn't that be uncomfortable?"

"Uncomfortable?" the old brown cat looked at Mirage with a fire in her eyes. "This is the _wild_. Comfort only applies when you're a helpless kit."

Mirage felt sympathy toward the old she-cat. Her kit had left her for the moors, and ever since, this cat's home had been turned into a shelter for naïve kits. She didn't know how the old cat put up with it.

"So, how do things work around here?" Mirage inquired, trying to disrupt the silence.

"Well, I train each cat so that they could easily hunt anything in this forest, night or day, river or brush. There's also the guarding, and some kits have extra duties of gathering herbs." The she-cat explained. "So, are you staying or not?"

Mirage blinked, startled. Then she nodded. "If it's alright with you."

"Okay then. You'll start your duties tomorrow." Then, the she-cat jumped into the next oak and down the trunk.

Mirage watched as she herded everyone out of plain sight. Some went into thick bushes, and others went up the oaks. A couple of cats climbed past her, giving her questioning looks.

She stretched out slowly, careful not to re-pull her leg muscles. Then, she settled into the nook of the branch.

Mirage had no clue how cats had the nerve to sleep so high off the ground. But, it was probably about as safe as it was on the ground.

As the moon rose, Mirage slipped into a much needed sleep. And for once, she forgot about her past. She was now looking forward to the future.

**A/N: Okay, I know it's been, like, a million years since I updated, so I hope this chapter was good enough. The reason I took forever updating was because I was waiting for my beta to get back with me, but she didn't so…anyway, reviews are always appreciated!**


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